UK braces itself for winds of over 90mph as double Atlantic storm set to rear ugly head

The UK is expected to be battered by winds of over 90mph at the weekend as a double Atlantic storm is set to smash onto its shores.

Northern Scotland is likely to bear the brunt of the storm, which is expected to hit the north of England and across the border on Friday and Saturday (9 and 10 January).

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for northern areas of the UK after predicting winds of more than 90mph could lash parts of the country.

Winds are expected to be less strong in southern areas but the whole of the country can expect to see "very unsettled" weather, the forecasters said.

Frank Saunders, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "The jet stream is going to be particularly strong later this week and this effectively fuels the low pressure systems moving across the Atlantic, causing them to deepen rapidly as they pass to the north of the UK.

"This will bring some very strong winds across the UK, but they will most likely be strongest in northern Scotland - which is expected to see the greatest impacts from the weather.

"This is likely to cause disruption in places and people should stay up to date with our forecasts and warnings to get the latest information as we move closer to the end of the week."

Windy conditions will be felt as early as Wednesday in the north, but the winds will increase significantly late on Thursday and into Friday as the first of two low pressures passes to the north of Scotland.

This system is likely to bring gusts of 60-70mph across northern parts of the UK and perhaps 80-90mph in the most exposed regions of the far north of Scotland.

And just as that system blows over, a second more powerful one will crash into the UK with gusts of up to 90mph or more in the far north of Scotland.